Variable speed rotary sprinkler



y 30, 1939- w. A BUCKNER 2,160,121

VARIABLE SPEED ROTARY SPRINKLER Filed Dec. 28, 1937 II/I INVENTOR w a r Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to rotary water sprinklers of the opposed nozzle slow motion type, and particularly represents improvements over the sprinklers of this type shown in my copending applications Serial No. 154,791 filed July 21, 1937, and Serial No. 155,461 filed July 24,1937.

In .both these previous devices the operating mechanisms while efiective for their purpose, were so positioned'and arranged that they could not well withstand the rough handling to which such sprinklers are apt to be subjected, and as a result such mechanisms were too easilybent or distorted so'as tojam or otherwise fail to function efliciently. The principal object of the present invention therefore is to provide a rotary sprinkler having a rotation imparting mechanism so disposed as to better able to withstand rough usage, and at the same time such mechanism is more compact and closer to the rigid and strong sprinkler head than in the previous devices, thereby further lessening the likelihood of damage being done thereto.

A further object is to provide a means where by if desired, the sprinkler head may be given rotative impulses in opposite directions alternately while keeping the impulses in one direction always the strongest, so that the sprinkler will actually turn in one direction.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as 3.5 will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

. In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sprinkler.

Figure 2 is a topplan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectiononline 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a similar view on line l-J of Fig. 1. Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan section on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the char-' acters of reference on the drawing, the sprinkler comprises a vertical supporting member 1 adapted at its lower end for connection to a water supply relation from the base 3 of the sprinkler head at an upward angle and having jet elements 6 and 'l respectively at their outer ends.

Extending lengthwise and over the nozzles and following the angular setting thereof is a rigid arm 8, the end portion of which over the nozzle 4 being in the form of a weight as at 9. Substantially centrally between its ends, this arm is formed with a relatively long upstanding sleeve I0, turnable on a stem ll mounted in the nozzle 5 adjacent the vertical axis of the sprinkler head, and disposed at a right angle to the axis of nozzle 5. The arm 8 under the sleeve rests on the boss 12 from which stem ll projects, so that the arm for its major extent remains clear of the nozzles.

A symmetrical wedge shaped driver or water deflecting element I2, with its sides in substantially vertical planes and with its apex facing the jet l, is mounted for oscillation on a pin 13 depending from arm 8 beyond jet 1. The oscillating movement of the driver is limited by a stop lug M on the arm depending into an opening 15 formed at the back of the driver (see Fig. 5). The side faces of the driver are depressed relative to straight lines intermediate their ends as shown at Hi. This forms a sort of vacuum pocket behind the water stream from the jet I as it strikes either face, causing such water to strike the portion of the face beyond the depression with greater force than would otherwise be the case, and imparting a. greater driving action to the element l2.

The arm 8 is normally maintained in a centralized or alined position relative to the nozzles .by the following means: Formed in the sprinkler head on top and centrally thereof is a transverse housing 11, in which is slidably mounted a stop pin 18, a compression spring 19 engaging the same, and an adjustable screw 20 engaging the spring. The pin is formed with a shoulder S within the housing, and normally projects from one side of housing H a distance determined by said shoulder. The pin at its outer end engages a lug 2| depending from arm 8'. When the pin and lug are thus engaged and the arm 8 is at rest, said arm is in alined position.

To move said armto such position after it has been deflected in a direction away from the stop pin by water striking the driver, I provide a torque spring 22. This is disposed about the hub 10, the lower end being secured on the arm 8 and the upper end being secured on a tur'nably adjustable collar 23 mounted on the upper end of stem I I (see Fig. 3). The spring 22 and adjacent parts are enclosed and protected by a removable cap 28.

Mounted for rotary adjustment on the screw 28 outwardly of the housing I! is a cam 25 positioned in the path of the oscillating movement of the arm 8 toward the corresponding side of the sprinkler.

In operation, when the sprinkler is started and the arm is in its normal alined or neutral position, water from jet I will strike driver 12 on one face or the other, said driver being initially disposed at one end or the other of its oscillating stroke. Assuming that the driver is positioned as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the arm 8 is swung so that the lug 2| pushes the pin l8 in, and strikes the adjacent end of the housing l1, causing the sprinkler'head to be rotated slightly in the same direction as the movement of the arm.

This also Jars the arms so that the driver reverses itself in position, and with the rebound movement of the arm due to the action of spring I! on pin l8. water issuing from jet 1 strikes the other face of the driver I2 as the latter swings across the path of the. stream. The arm 8 is then driven in the corresponding direction, increasing the torque of spring 22 until the momentum of arm 8 derived from the water has been overcome. The arm then swings in the opposite direction and past the water stream. Movement of the arm toward the 'stop pin to impart another rotative impulse to the sprinkler head is aided by a further impingement of water against the driver.

The main function of the spring 22 is to center the arm 8 relative to the nozzles. The weight of the lever itself is so distributed that under ordinary conditions, or when thesprinkler is upright, the driver will be automatically 'cditered in the stream. The. spring is thus only actually necessary to secure this centering if the sprinkler is set at an angle such as to prevent the weighted arm centering itself.

The tension of spring 22 is set relative to that of spring I! so that the action of said spring 22 will not cause the pin l8 to be depressed.

Adjusting the tension of spring 22 (which of course calls for a corresponding adjustment of spring I8) enables the speed of rotation of the sprinkler to be altered.

This is because the greater the initial tension of the spring for instance, the shorter will be the are through which the arm 8 will swing from the neutral position in a direction away from pin l8 before returning to impart a further rotative impulse to the sprinkler head, and the shorter will be the time between successive impulses. This of course will cause a greater number of impulses to be imparted within a given period and the speed of rotation of the sprinkler head will be correspondingly increased.

The cam 28 is for the purpose of enabling the arm 8, with its swing in that direction, to engage the cam as a stop and impart a backward rotative impulse to the sprinkler head. This will only be effective when the spring .22 is set with a relatively weak tension, or whenthe water pressure is very strong. These latter rotative impulses will never be as strong as those given to'the sprinklerin the forward direction or by the lug 2|, so that the sprinkler moves with whatmay be described as one step forward .and half step back.

By altering the-position of the cam on screw 28, which alters thelength of the arc of swing bf the arm 8 before it will strike the cam, a quarter-step, or any other fractional rotative mpulse, canbe given the sprinkler in a backward direction,

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rotary sprinkler comprising a sprinkler head mounted for rotation and having a radial nozzle member provided with a jet opening at its outer end, an arm normally extending lengthwise of and above the member, means pivoting said arm on the head for oscillating movement in a substantially horizontal plane on either side of a predetermined neutral position, means between the arm and head to impart a rotative impulse to the latter with swinging of the arm in one direction from a predetermined neutral position intermediate the limits of its oscillating movement, means to return the arm to such position after swinging movement therefrom in either direction, and a water engaging driving element mounted on the arm beyond the outer end of the nozzle member in position to depend into the path of the'stream issuing from said jet opening to be engaged by such stream when the arm is in said normal position to impart movement to the arm inone direction or the other.

2. A structure as in claim 1, in which the arm pivoting means comprises a pininounted on and upstanding from the nozzle member at right angles thereto.

3. A structure as in claim 1, in which said arm return means comprises a spring acting on the armafter movement thereof to an impulse imparting position, and another spring acting on the arm after swinging thereof in the other directionfrom said neutral position.

4. A structure as in claim 1, in which said water engaging element comprises a wedge shaped member whose opposite side faces lie in substantially vertical planes and whose apex faces the jet opening, and means mounting the memher on the arm for limited oscillating movement .in a'substantially horizontal plane.

, faces the Jet opening, a pivot pin depending from the arm and supporting the element inter- .mediate its ends, said element having an opening beyond the pin, and a fixed relatively small stop on the arm depending into said opening.

7. A structure as in claim 1 with means to limit the oscillating movement of the arm to a short arc'of travel in said one direction from said neutral position compared to the arc of travel of the arm possible in the other direction from said neutral position.

8. A structure as in claim 1,-with additional means between the arm and head to cause the arm, with a swinging movement in the opposite direction from said neutral position, to impart a rotative impulse to the head in a direction opposite that given to the head with the movement of the arm in said one direction and with a smaller force.

9. A structure as in claim 1, with additional means between the arm and head to cause the arm, with a swinging movement in the opposite direction from said neutral position, to impart a rotative impulse to the head in a direction op posite-that given to the head with the move.- ment of the arm in said one direction and with a smaller force; said last named means including a member adjustable and arranged to enable such impulsive force to be altered.

10. A rotary sprinkler comprising a sprinkler head mounted for rotation and having a radial,

nozzle member provided with a Jet opening at its outer end, an arm normally extending lengthwise of and above the member, a stem mounted on and upstanding from the member between the outer end of the member and the axis of the head and relatively close to the latter, the arm being turnable on the stem, a normally advanced pin projecting at right angles to the nozzle memher from one side of the head substantially in line with the axis of the head, a spring advancing said pin, a lug on the arm to engage the outer end of the pin, the arm, when the lug is engaged with the pin and the latter is fully advanced being in longitudinal alinement with the nozzle; said arm being capable of relatively great movement in a direction relative to said alined position away from the pin, another spring between the head and arm placed under increasing tension with the movement of the arm in said last named direction, and an element on the arm beyond the outer end 'of the nozzle in position to be engaged by the stream issuing from the jet opening and arranged to cause impingement of the water against one side or the other of said element to impart swinging movement of the arm in one direction or the other as the arm swings past the plane of the path of the stream.

11. A structure as in claim 10, in which the last named spring is set to return the arm to said alined position and normally maintain the lug alined with the pin without imparting retractive movement to the latter.

12. A structure as in claim 10, 'with separate means to separately adjust the normal tension 0! the springs.

WILLIAM A. BUCKNER. 

